 EDUCATIONAL STATUS : AN OVERVIEW

1. POPULATION PROFILE

Scheduled Castes

The 1991 census counted, the population of Scheduled Castes (SCs) as 13.82 crores accounting for 16.33 per cent Of the country's total population of 84.63 crores. The male population is 7.19 crores and the female population is 6.63 crores which account for 16.38 per cent and 16.29 per cent respectively of the country's total population. In 1981, the SCs had accounted for 15.8 per cent of the total population. There are no SCs in the state of Nagaland and the Union Territories (UTs) of A&N Island and Lakshadweep.

Scheduled Tribes

The population of Scheduled Tribes (STs), as per 1991 census, is 6.78 crores accounting for 8.01 per cent of the country's total population. Out of the total ST population, males are 3.4 crores and females 3.3 crores, which account for 7.8 per cent and 8.2 per cent respectively of the country's total population. In 1981 the STs had accounted for 7.8 per cent of the total population. There are no STs in the States/UTs of Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi and Pondicherry. Figures for Jammu & Kashmir are not available for 1991. A detailed profile of SC/ST population is at Annexe-I.

POPULATION OF SCHEDULED CASTES AND SCHEDULED TRIBES 1991 CENSUS

2. LITERACY STATUS

Education had a very slow beginning among the Scheduled Castes and scheduled Tribes. The socio-economic conditions prevailing in pre-independent India had a bearing on this. While significant progress has been made since independence, because of wise planned development, wide disparities still continue between Scheduled Castes and Tribes and others in the matter of literacy. The overall literacy among Scheduled Castes increased from 10.27 per cent in 1961 to 3 7.41 percent in 1991 and that of Scheduled Tribes from 8.54 percent in 1961 to 29.60 per cent, which are much lower than that among others. Table-I presents a comparative pictures of literacy rates in the last three decades.

        
                                                                                  TABLE 1
        
                                                                               Literacy Rate
                                                               
                    Year                            SC                                  ST                          Non SC/ST
                                                               
                    1961                            10.27                               8.54                        27.86
                    1971                            14.67                               11.30                       33.80
                    1981                            21.38                               16.35                       41.30
                    1991                            37.41                               29.60                       57.40

Female literacy is still more unsatisfactory in the case of SCs and STs. It is only 23.76 per cent in case of SCs and 18.19 per cent for STs as against 44.96 per cent for non-SC/ST females in 1991. State-wise literacy rates of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, as per 1991 census, are at Annexe-II.

LITERACY RATES OF SCHEDULED CASTES AND SCHEDULED TRIBES 1961-1991

3. SCHOOL ENROLMENT

Them has been substantial increase in the enrolment of children belonging to SC and ST at all stages of education, particularly at the primary stage. At the primary stage, the SC enrolment has increased from 1. 1 crore in 1980-81 to 1.74 crores in 1992-93 accounting for 16.47 per cent of the total enrolment. Similarly, ST enrolment at primary stage has increased from 46.60 lakhs in 1980-81 to 83.64 lakhs in 1992-93 accounting for 7.94 per cent of the total enrolment. A similar trend is observed in other stages of education also.

The enrolment figures of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes at different stages of education for the year 1993-94 are given at Annexe-III. What is observed is that there is a noticeable decline in the participation of SCs and STs as one moves up in the educational ladder. At the primary stage, the enrolment is almost proportional to the share of total population, at higher stages it is much less.

4. DROP-OUT RATES

The drop-out rates for 1980-81 and 1989-90 among general, SC and ST population are given in Table 2.

TABLE - 2

DROP-OUT RATES

        
                         Classes                                Scheduled Castes               Scheduled Tribes                     General
                                                               
        
                                                               1980-81         1989-90        1980-81          1989-90         1980-81     1989-90
                          I-V                                   60.16          49.03           75.66            63.81           58.70       48.08
                          I-VIII                                76.84          67.62           86.71            79.35           72.70       64.09
                          I-X                                   86.91          79.42           91.18            86.28           82.46       74.46

The above table shows improvement in the retention of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes at primary, middle and high school levels during the period from 1980-81 to 1989-90. The drop out rates of Scheduled Castes are now comparable to the general population, but that of Scheduled Tribes are still significantly high. The overall rates, of course, am not satisfactory and they need to be brought down considerably to achieve the Eighth Five Year Plan targets of 20 per cent and 40 per cent between classes I to V and I to VIII respectively. State-wise drop-out rates of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are given at Annexe-IV and V

EDUCATIONAL STATUS : AN OVERVIEW